External Review: Tubal Ligation in the Saskatoon Health Region: The Lived Experience of Aboriginal Women

From the Authors' Report: "This report examines the issue of Aboriginal1 women from Saskatoon and surrounding catchment area who have reported being coerced into having a tubal ligation in Saskatoon hospitals. The overall aim of this review is to examine the issues and provide recommendations or ‘Calls to Action’ to the Saskatoon Health Region to prevent the coercion of Aboriginal women into tubal ligation. The report provides an historical colonization-impacted context Aboriginal of women’s lives, as well as the history of forced sterilization in Canada. A community-engaged methodology was used to design the review, and to analyze anonymized interview data for Aboriginal women affected and for health providers who provide services in Saskatoon Health Region hospital maternal and child services. Examination of Maternal Services and Child and Family Services (CFS) Ministry involvement with Aboriginal women in hospital after childbirth was completed. Interviews were done with Aboriginal women, health providers and CFS staff. ------------------------- The themes that arose from the interviews with the Aboriginal women revealed that all clearly felt stressed and under much duress from being coerced to have a tubal ligation while in labour, which added more stress to the usual stress of childbirth. The overarching themes arising from Aboriginal Women’s interviews include: ‘Feeling Invisible, Profiled and Powerless,’ ‘Experiencing Coercion,’ ‘Impacts on Self-Image,’ ‘Relationships’ and ‘Healthcare’ and ‘Calls to Action.’ The review outlines the depth of Aboriginal women’s experience with being coerced into tubal ligation. Themes arising reveal that many of the Aboriginal women interviewed were living often overwhelming and complex lives when they were coerced, their lives were intricately bound within an overriding negative historical context of colonialism. Most of the women did not understand that tubal ligation was permanent, thinking it was a form of birth control that could be reversed in the future. Essentially all of the women interviewed felt that the health system had not served their needs, and they had felt powerless to do anything about it. A complete lack of trust and avoidance of health care is a consequence of being coerced into having a tubal ligation immediately after birth. Aboriginal women who have had such an experience that prevents them from accessing health care are aware that they are higher risk for negative consequences of health problems that are preventable or treatable if diagnosed early; they still cannot get past their distrust. Despite this lack of trust, the Aboriginal women overcame their significant anxiety to tell their story to the reviewers of being coerced into tubal ligation for the benefit of other Aboriginal women. Based on their own personal and difficult experiences, the woman provided concrete suggestions on how the health system must respond to their needs related to tubal ligation." Pg 2. ----- The publication can be found here https://www.saskatoonhealthregion.ca/DocumentsInternal/Tubal_Ligation_i…